Singles Of The Week! Darwin Deez, Youthless and Gold Panda

All of these are OUT THIS WEEK.

Darwin Deez – Constellations

The old adage may be ‘Don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ but bloomin’ heck Darwin, that is one ratty cover you’re sporting. Maybe it’s t he tatty headband unsuccessfully pinning down a full head of eerily static curls (The raging debate over whether it is permed or otherwise continues) or maybe it’s the paedo moustache, or affinity for clothes that look like they stink of spliff and have been hoked from the very hellish depths of some Godforsaken charity shop bargain bin,but there’s something about poor Darwin that sets him squarely in the ‘Individual’ category – and by ‘Individual’, we mean less of a hip, gold lamé-wearing, Natasha Khan-esque maverick, and more of The Crazy Cat Lady from The Simpsons who babbles incomprehensibly and flings yowling moggies at unsuspecting passers-by. No offence, Darwin. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth – we like Uffie?! You heard.

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week: ‘Difficult’ by Uffie (Azari & III remix)

I’m not the biggest fan of Uffie, I have to admit, though I know that she has quite the following. I like the drum/bongo/whatever bit that provides the funky rhythm. I guess that’s Azari & III’s doing. The rest I don’t find quite a impressive, but the funk keeps me going and would get me on the dance floor. The more club oriented sounds that are added to the funk I could’ve done without. Sometimes though, if only one part works, then it is all right. I mean, you can’t dance to everything anyway, so just pick the funk out of it and don’t care about the rest. After four minutes the synth line is rather fetching I must say, and after three minutes of those drums the renewed energy from that synth will keep you busy for the rest of this song’s six minute running time. … Continue Reading

Singles of the Week: The Joy Formidable, Esben and the Witch, Joe McElderry and more

Rejoice! The weekly singles column returns to Muso’s Guide. It’s ok, don’t all celebrate at once, we know you can barely contain your excitement. There is no overarching theme this week, as on this feature’s glorious return I thought it best to celebrate a variety of different tunes from the world of popular music – or give them the drubbing they deserve, one or the other.

The Joy Formidable – ‘I Don’t Want To See You Like This’

The debut album proper from Welsh three-piece The Joy Formidable feels like it’s been a long time coming, but if it’s packed with tunes as good as ‘I Don’t Want To See You Like This’ then it’s surely going to be a winner. The song starts with infectious, fast-paced drumming that doesn’t let up for the duration of the track, and the guitars sound colossal throughout. The whole thing is massively euphoric, and it’s complimented by lyrics that give the impression of being emotionally torn – “This is the past right here/I choose to leave it here,” sings Ritzy Bryan, before breaking into a chorus of “But I don’t want to see you like this,” indicating that she doesn’t want to hurt anyone by leaving her past behind. Overall, ‘I Don’t Want To See You Like This’ is a stirring experience that packs real emotional and musical weight – if you weren’t already a fan after mini-album A Balloon Called Moaning, then it’s definitely time to get excited about The Joy Formidable. … Continue Reading

The Singles… Kirstie McCrum on Belleruche, Holy Ghost!, The Lines and THe Magic Numbers

Feeling like summer’s on its way out? Don’t despair yet, the radio’s keeping the dream alive for a month or so longer with lovelies like the new single from Belleruche. Clockwatching is a finger-picking slice of female-fronted tunesmithery from the Brighton three-piece. With a distinctly Roisin Murphy vocal, singer Kathrin DeBoer smooches her way through some delicious sophisti-pop. ‘I’m back in the backseat’, she smoulders, and a nation swoons. Overall lacking in genuine heft, Clockwatching is nevertheless a pleasant distraction from the turning of the leaves and as a forerunner to October’s album release 270 Stories, it’s a pretty promising one. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth, with !!! in the lead…

!!! - most certain sure

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week: ‘The Most Certain Sure’ by !!!

I’m up and down with !!!, some of their songs I really like, some of their songs I’m not particularly interested in. This one does start out in a lovely manner. Love the rhythm section, the drums are just wicked and I can’t keep myself from bobbing along. Just the whole thing seems very rhythmic, designed to make your body move a bit. The vocals aren’t belting it out but they kind of keep restrained, which suits the song pretty well. At one point they kind of go back to basics and just have the rhythm section with some instruments playing over it, after which they kick it back into gear again. This is really something you can go down to on the dance floor, though it does have a bit more of a raw edge than a lot of songs with this dance floor vibe. Hadn’t expected it to be this good to be honest, kudos to the band. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth: Larse, Ducktails, Passion Pit AND MORE

Larse - I Got A Feeling

Track of the week: ‘I Got a Feeling’ by Larse

Larse has got a feeling, and he is sharing it with everyone. New German artist, and with this track he really puts himself on the map. At least, for me, because I’m digging this massively. Pretty good house as far as I’m concerned, delightfully catchy, good rhythm (that’s what house is about, innit?) nice female vocals suitable for this sort of house track: so yeah, it ticks quite some boxes for me. Unfortunately I could only find a three minute preview to share, but the original has a running time which is double that, so if this seems to start abrupt and cuts off with a lousy fade-out, that’s probably the reason. Definitely try and hunt this one down. I love the Chicago house vibe that is running through this track’s veins. … Continue Reading

The Bewitched Hands On Top Of Our Heads – Hard To Cry EP

The Bewitched Hands On Top Of Our Heads

A rather peculiar record has recently come to my attention. It is the debut EP of the quirkily titled French outfit The Bewitched Hands On Top Of Our Heads. Following on from a strong showing at this year’s SXSW festival, they have recently been garnering plenty of press attention – including the American blogs Spinner and Nylon. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth – yum yum, it’s Teengirl Fantasy

Teengirl Fantasy

Track of the week: ‘Cheaters’ by Teengirl Fantasy

Oh my, I didn’t really know how lovely they were until I listened to this song! They kind of had passed me by up until this point, but I put them on the list for songs for this column, et voila. Just absolutely lovely. These vocals seemingly are old-fashioned disco vocals, but they seem to be a bit lower in the mix so the music isn’t overpowered by them. As if it is caught in a web of slight distortion or something. I love those synths, that danceable beat, and I do believe I hear a cowbell. So many ingredients that I love in songs, and they all come together here. I also like how they sometimes seem to crank it up a notch as the song goes on, which gives the song the occasional oomph to last the six plus minutes running time. Looking forward to the album already, though I think I’ve read that most of it is going to be instrumental. Which is too bad, because I really like those vocals here. But oh well, I’m sure it’ll turn out ace anyway. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth: we <3 Active Child…

Active Child

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week: ‘When Your Love is Safe’ by Active Child (Classixxx remix)

That’s one nice voice Active Child has got there. And the good thing about this Classixxx remix is that the voice comes out perhaps even better than on the original, as he gives it something extra on occasion. And that works pretty well as far as I’m concerned. Classixxx saw the qualities of this song and basically put a bit of eyeliner on that to accentuate the eyes, so the best comes out even better while the rest sensibly stays in the background a bit more. I also love the understated instrumental additions by Classixxx, which makes it a sort of italo like 80s synth track, which is always good in my book. Just a smart remix of this track, not overhauling it like a buffoon, but instead just some changes in the right places without overshadowing the strengths of Active Child. And I will take such an approach over anything that just puts a heavy beat on it and tries to change it by just making it bigger and bolder. … Continue Reading

The Weekly Froth – new Cut Copy! Sound of the week!

Cut Copy

Our weekly look into the blogosphere where we talk about six tracks we found out about in the previous Wednesday-to-Wednesday seven-day period.

Track of the week: ‘Where I’m Going’ by Cut Copy

Hell. Yeah. First time I saw these guys live was just after their second album in a club in Brooklyn (a gig put on tape by Pitchfork and a venue which I believe since then has shut down). These guys, they can make you dance. Had to miss them just a few days ago, which I’m still bummed out about, but it was too expensive to get there, and in my hometown Dum Dum Girls were playing. Can’t have it all I suppose. Hope they come back soon though, because this is stellar. Naw, strike that, this is just immensely fun! Handclaps, but more camp than their earlier work it seems to me, and this is just a party from the get go. I mean, can anyone not dance to this? Surely. This has dance floor written all over it. They go a bit dreamy in the middle, and then they go back to the dancing again. And those “yeah, yeah, yeah” bits are a sure invite for everyone to pump their fists in the air and sing along. Perhaps the lads have been a bit cheeky and took some elements which are shoe-ins for a certain reaction. But to then execute it so finely, only a few can do that. … Continue Reading